A Tale of Two Hearts
by marivon
Summary: Rumbelle fic, picks up at the end of 4x19. Rumple now has not only his own heart to worry about, but Belle's, too. Will keep going until both hearts are restored (although not too sure yet, how!) Thanks for reading
1. Chapter 1

Hidden behind a large tree, Rumpelstiltskin smiled a bitter smile at the crystal ball when he saw that his plan had worked. Emma had killed Cruella and was definitely turning dark. He did not need to see what would happen once the Charmings told Emma that she had killed someone whose ability to kill had been taken away by the author, that Cruella had been bluffing all along.

Rumple grimaced as he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He felt tired and really needed a rest but he also knew that now that Henry was safe, Regina would very soon leave for Storybrooke - with Belle's heart. He shook with rage and despair as he recalled what had happened at the well. He took a deep breath and with a flick of his hand he was back at his cabin. The author was still tied to the armchair he had left him in and there was no sign of Maleficent. 'Good', Rumple thought to himself: at least he had time to go and see that Belle was OK. As OK as she could be. Not having a heart beating in one's chest can do funny things to you.

Only a few seconds later, Rumple materialized outside his shop and quickly stepped back into the shadow of the building on the other side of the street from where he had a good view through the window. He breathed a sigh of relief. The lights were on and he could see Belle standing behind the counter, polishing what looked like an ancient sword.

The night he had returned to Storybrooke, after they had resurrected Maleficent, he had left the three Queens of Darkness to catch up and had stealthily magicked himself into his, into their house. A stale smell had welcomed him - a single apple had rolled behind the now empty fruit plate and had rotted into a big heap of mould. Nobody was in the house - had been in weeks, it looked like: the fridge was empty and their bedroom was exactly as Belle and he had left it six weeks earlier, her night gown tossed onto a chair and the water glasses still on the night stands. She had not been back after banishing him, it looked like, not even to get clothes and other necessary items.

So Rumple had assumed that his shop would be closed, too, because Belle clearly did not want to have any more to do with him or with his possessions. He had been very surprised to see that she had indeed kept it open and that - from what he could gather - she had collected rent from all his tenants around town. But after impersonating Hook, Rumple had vouched to avoid the shop until… until the author had done what Rumple wanted him to do. He was not too sure what he would do if he saw Belle there with that scoundrel Scarlett, inside his own shop! But now, he didn't have a choice. Scarlett or not, he needed to see that Belle was OK.

And she was alone, at least. Good! Rumple stood there and watched her go about her business - polishing, reordering, answering the phone - for thirty minutes. Belle would have seemed her old self to anyone walking into the shop right now, smiling as she picked up the phone and probably humming to herself as she restacked some books (he could see her pursed lips through the window and he couldn't help but smile). All the while, though, he couldn't help but think back to what had happened at the well.

Having held more than one ripped-out heart in his hands in his heyday, he knew that you did not have access to the memories of the unfortunate soul whose heart you had control over. So when Belle had mentioned their vows and the chipped cup, she had most probably been following Regina's orders to make him own up to what he was really doing in Storybrooke by any means possible. While Regina was clearly in charge of the latter part of the conversation, Rumple couldn't help but wonder when she had taken over talking to him directly through Belle. Did Belle really understand his reasons for coming back? Did she really regret having banished him? When they had kissed it had felt like old times but perhaps he was just fooling himself. Perhaps Regina had been in complete control all the time and had forced Belle to tell her about the vows and the chipped cup so that he'd be tricked into being honest and baring his innermost feelings.

Rumple sighed in frustration. There was no way to find out until Belle got her heart back - only then would he know the truth. And it all depended on how things went in New York between Regina and Zelena. What if Zelena managed to get hold of Belle's heart? Panic started to rise in Rumple - he hated being cornered like this, unable to protect his beloved Belle - and he was relieved to see that someone pulled up in a car outside the shop. But his relief instantly turned into anger when he saw who it was. That wife-stealing idiot of a thief!

Rumple couldn't help but use his magic to listen in on what was happening inside the shop. Belle turned around as she heard the bell.

'Oh, you!' she said when she saw Will in a flat tone of voice.

'Hello, Belle dear! Tried to call you earlier on, about three hours ago. Why didn't you pick up or call me back?' Will said, mustering the brunette who absent-mindedly kept stroking the book on the counter in front of her.

'Oh! Sorry, I didn't check my phone', she answered after a long pause.

'Are you OK, love?' Will enquired. At the word 'love', Rumple inhaled sharply and had to keep his hands from shooting up and blasting the impertinent thief to smithereens.

'Yeah, I guess', Belle murmured, a puzzled look on her face. She seemed to be uncomfortable in Will's presence, all of a sudden - or was Rumple just wishing it to be so?

'Still up for dinner at Granny's?', Will asked.

'I think I better cancel, Will', said Belle.

'Why?', asked Will, obviously surprised.

'I don't know. I feel a bit strange. I'm off, somehow. And…' Belle paused. 'I don't know. Don't take it personally, but you being here makes it worse.' Her hands shot up to her head all of a sudden and she groaned as if in pain.

And then Rumple saw something unexpected through the window.

It took him a few seconds to react but as soon as he had made sure that it was not just wishful thinking, a figment of his imagination, he waved his hand at the shop and then - making sure nobody saw him - quickly stepped through the door.

He had frozen time hundreds, thousands of times before but he had only ever done it twice to Belle. He hated doing it to her. But it had been necessary both times, on their honeymoon and now.

He had been right. Above her head there it was: the tiniest shimmer of red sparkles. The residue of magic. Of a spell.

A love spell. 'Once you have your heart ripped out', Rumple said to Belle although she could not hear him, 'the love spell has no place where to reside any longer and therefore tries to flee the body'.

Rumple turned away from Belle towards Will. 'Let's see now', he mumbled as he waved his hands at the frozen thief. And in no time the same red sparkles appeared above Will Scarlet's head.

As Rumple rummaged around under the counter for a glass phial and captured some of the residue floating above Belle's head in order to analyze it later, to make sure he could make the exact antidote, an inner voice kept shouting out his happiness: Belle and Will being together was the result of a spell - a potent spell by the looks of it. He would find out who had put the spell on them, and they would pay. But thoughts of revenge were not as sweet as the realization that Belle had not just got over him in the space of a few short weeks or simply decided she needed to rebound with the first guy who came along.

She may very well still love him. There may be hope for the two of them after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Rumple was glad that Will had not insisted on staying with Belle once he had unfrozen them. The thief clearly hat not been happy and had muttered something under his breath as he got into his car. But Rumple was completely focused on Belle. The headache seemed to pass slowly but she still seemed pale. Rumple hoped she would close the shop soon, go home and get a rest. Belle had moved back into the small apartment above the library so she did not have far to walk. He could stay all night and watch over her but he also knew that Maleficent might reach out through the magic towards him any time and that he would not necessarily have time to analyze the potion Belle and Will had been given if she was looking over his shoulder.

With a heavy heart, he therefore spirited himself back to the cabin. The author was by now fast asleep in the armchair. Good! The less he talked, the better. Rumple quickly went into his bedroom. He released the residue of the love spell into a cylindrical container and got to work, adding droplets of this and that liquid that he willed to come to him from the shop and that he sent back via magic straight away. Belle may not have her heart at the moment but she would grow suspicious if several of his phials containing magic were to go missing.

An hour into analyzing the spell, Rumple still did not have any clues as to who had brewed the potion. Every kind of magician (fairy, sorcerer, even the Dark One) left a tiny trace in their magic that could give them away if you looked closely enough. But whoever brewed this potion had been very good at hiding their traces. All he knew was that it was indeed a powerful spell. It would take some skill to come up with a counter-potion but he already had a mental list of the most important ingredients he would need.

For the third time in a single day, Rumple dared feel positive and hopeful. The first time had blown up in his face, as it was not really his Belle he had held in his arms after all. The second time was when he realized that she was not truly attracted to that Scarlett guy, that it was because of the potion. And now he felt hopeful again: the strength of the potion suggested that Belle and Will, or at least one of them, was still very much in love with somebody else. Otherwise a much less complicated potion would have done the job just fine. 'If it's just one of them, let it be Belle', he mumbled to himself. Just then, he felt Maleficent approaching. He quickly left his room and put on his usual mask, ready to meet her and to tell her that Cruella was dead. And then the two of them would have to return to working on the plan he had for the author. He knew that he didn't have a lot of time: if the last bit of his heart went black as coal then he would no longer care what happened to Belle and her heart.

The next morning, Rumple awoke with a start. He hadn't been able to analyze the potion any more or start on a counter-potion once he had been done with Maleficent - who was not pleased that someone else had got to Cruella before her - and the extremely annoying chatterbox of the Author who had told him a lot of useless stuff and not what he needed to hear. Because the elixir of the wounded heart was no longer working as well as it had a few weeks ago, Rumple was feeling more tired these days and he noticed that he had fallen asleep in his suit the night before.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he decided to forfeit breakfast - he could not deal with either Maleficent or the Author this early in the morning. Instead, he decided to check up on Belle before returning to the potions. He wanted to have the counter-potion ready for when Belle got her heart back so that he could know the truth. How long would Regina be in New York? Had she left yet? He searched for her magical presence: no, she was still in Storybrooke. But probably not for long. He would quickly check on Belle, then work on the counter-potion so he could give it to Will. The idea was that Will would break up with Belle once he realized he was still in love with his own wife - the best way to keep him away from Belle other than killing him (which could very well kill the last bit of humanity off in his own heart).

The shop was still closed although it was 9.45 already. With a flick of his hand, Rumple stood on the top step outside Belle's apartment. He sharpened his hearing with magic but could not hear her inside. Or in the library below, for that matter. Where could she be? Rumple listened out into the everyday noises of Storybrooke, something that he didn't care for. But he needed to know where she was and that she was fine - and he could not simply walk down the main road now shouting her name, could he?

There! He'd found here. She was speaking to someone, a woman. Granny! She was paying for her breakfast (which, according to Granny, she had hardly touched) and was trying to reassure her interlocutor that she was fine. Rumpelstiltskin reappeared in the doorway opposite his shop, the best spot to briefly see Belle as she entered the shop, and then he would return to the cabin to get on with the potion's and his plan for the Author.

He was still listening in on Belle who had just managed to say goodbye to a very nosey Granny and was going to enter his field of vision any minute now. All eager with anticipation, he heard Belle say 'Good morning' to someone - the Charmings, it seemed - and they must have Neil with them as Belle was commenting on how much he had grown since she had last seen him. 'Has his sleeping at night improved?' Belle asked Snow White but then… 'Belle?' Both the Charmings sounded worried as they exclaimed her name. 'Belle! Hey!' David's voice grew louder in Rumple's head. What was going on?

Rumple stepped out of his hiding place and was running towards Granny's without thinking about the consequences. He just caught a glimpse of Belle sinking into David's arms and Snow rushing to the door of the diner.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Rumple was at Belle's side, Snow and Granny had kneeled down next to her. Granny was holding Belle's wrist with a frown on her face. 'David,' she said with noticeably concern in her voice, 'Is she breathing? Because I can't feel her pulse!'

'I think she is', said David, holding his ear to Belle's mouth. 'But her breath is shallow. I better call an ambulance!'

David, Mary-Margaret and Granny only noticed Rumple when he sank down onto his knees right next to David. 'What? Where have you come fr-', David asked surprised but he didn't finish his question when he saw the expression on Gold's face. 'Here', he said, shifting to the side and moving Belle into Rumple's arms. As he got up, he quickly took out his phone and called for an ambulance.

Rumple could hear a sharp intake from both women kneeling at Belle's side. He did not even bother to look up. His eyes were fixed on Belle's face, so fragile and pale. Belle's eyelids flickered briefly and then she went back to being completely still, far too still.

'She moved her eyelids. You say she's breathing. But I tell you: I can't feel her pulse! How is that possible?' said Granny to David.

'It's possible,' Rumple heard himself saying. 'It's possible if your heart is not beating in your chest…'

After a few seconds of complete silence, Snow exclaimed in horror: 'You ripped Belle's heart out? As a punishment for having banished you? Or because she's with Will now?'

Rumple's eyes shot up for a brief second. His gaze returned to Belle's face but through gritted teeth he said: 'Oh no, not me! Your reformed evil queen, REGINA, ripped Belle's heart out. And my guess is that she has just crossed the town line with Belle's heart in her luggage.'

'Come again?' Snow's disbelief was apparent.

'She wanted to make sure that I wouldn't interfere with her travel plans…' said Rumple, unsure whether Regina had told the Charmings and Emma about Zelena.

'She didn't want you to tell Zelena,' David burst out and it was too late for Mary-Margaret to shush him.

'Oh, so you do know about that', said Rumple, still not looking up, his fingers gripping Belle in his arms more tightly than before. 'Never mind. We - no, you', he said pointing at David, 'you call Regina and tell her to bring Belle's heart back over the town line. Leave it with Emma or with you until she returns.'

David, Mary-Margaret and Granny all stared at Gold with their mouths hanging open.

'Please,' Rumple said, his voice breaking. 'I don't know what's happening to her. This has never been done before, taking a heart from a realm with strong magic to a realm with no magic at all. She is breathing now but what if Regina is gone for days? What if Belle's heart dies out there without magic surrounding it?'

'I couldn't bear losing her,' a faint voice whispered in his head and he was not too sure whether he had said it aloud or not.

With the sound of ambulance sirens in the back, David took out his phone and dialed Regina's number. She picked up after the fourth ring and she was grumpy, he could tell from the way she said 'Sheriff! What can I do for you?'

'Regina, am I correct in assuming you crossed the town line about…' David checked his watch, 'five minutes ago?'

'I guess so. Why? Miss me already?' asked Regina sarcastically.

'No, not really. But it turns out that Belle is missing her heart.'

Silence on the other line.

'Regina: you have to come back. Belle collapsed the second you crossed the town line. She is unconscious, she may even be dying. We don't know. This has never been done before: taking a ripped-out heart across into a world with no magic…'

'Says who? Gold? He's there with you, isn't he? No, he's not getting his way!'

'She says you're not getting your way', relayed David to Gold who would not shift although he was being beckoned to do so by the paramedics that had just arrived on the scene.

Granny and Snow moved away from Belle so that the paramedics had access to her. Rumple lay Belle's body onto the ground and moved slightly so that he could still stroke her hair while the paramedics did their - completely useless - checks on his wife.

'Give me the phone', said Mary-Margaret. 'Regina, listen: we just want Belle to be fine. David will come to the town line with the Blue Fairy and let you back in. We'll keep the heart safe until you return from New York. Gold won't interfere. I know he won't.'

Rumple shot Snow a thankful glance. Regina might still refuse, he was aware of that, and while Snow's optimism got on his nerves most days he did appreciate how she was standing up for Belle this very moment.

Snow turned to David: 'Regina says she'll think about it. Go grab the Blue Fairy and get to the town line as fast as you can. Keep me posted!'

Meanwhile, Granny was filling in the paramedics as to why they could not feel Belle's pulse and after a short consultation, they decided to give her oxygen and move her into the ambulance once one of them could muster enough courage to approach the Dark One to tell him to let go of Belle.

But it turned out that they did not have to do so after all.

'My oh my! And there was me wondering where you might have run off to so early in the morning!'

Maleficent's voice was full of mockery. She had appeared out of thin air behind the paramedics who nearly dropped their equipment.

Just a couple of steps and Maleficent had grabbed Rumple by his coat. 'Are you out of your mind? What are you doing here in broad daylight? What if Regina and the Saviour gang up on you while you're busy sobbing over your so-called wife who threw you out like a piece of trash? What if they are out there snatching the Author from us right this very moment? I thought we had an understanding?'

'Regina has just left town', Snow spoke up when she saw that Rumple was not going to explain himself - for whatever reason. 'With Belle's ripped-out heart. So you don't have to worry about her.'

'And we've sent Emma away, too. Just in case you were planning on turning her dark one of these days,' added David.

'Brilliant plan, Rumpelstiltskin. Bravo!' said Maleficent with a sneer.

Rumple ignored her and turned towards Mary-Margaret. 'Please take care of her,' he said in a bare whisper. 'And please call me if her condition improves.'

'No, dearie. Let us not fight in front of the children,' he said to Maleficent putting on his sarcastic voice. 'Let us take this elsewhere…'

And the Dark One and Maleficent disappeared in a grey and purple cloud.

'Go!' said Snow to Charming as she took baby Neal out of his buggy. 'We need to help Belle!'


	4. Chapter 4

'For my plan to work, it doesn't matter where Emma turns dark, dearie. The spark is now in her and she will turn dark, either in Storybrooke or elsewhere,' Rumpelstiltskin said to Maleficent.

She didn't answer him and simply disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.

He could see that she was not convinced and that she was growing more impatient each day, quite understandably so. He had felt the same impatience when the curse had broken and he had to wait for things to fall into place in order to be able to go and track down Bae.

Memories of Hook shooting Belle at the town line flooded back. Belle in hospital, then. And Belle in hospital now, at the mercy of a crazed Regina who would take a heart across into a land without magic without thinking it through.

Rumple's phone hardly rang once and he had already answered it. It was Snow. 'They've taken Belle to the hospital. Room 405. Her breathing has improved and there is brain activity. But she's still unconscious.'

'And her heart?'

There was a pause at the other end of the line. 'It's back in Storybrooke. It's safe. I promise we'll give it back to Belle once Regina tells us to do so, once she's got Robin and Roland away from Zelena.'

Rumple only grunted in response.

'I have to go. Hope Belle feels like her old self again soon', said Snow and it sounded like she meant it.

'Thank you for standing up for Belle,' said Rumple before hanging up and transporting himself to the hospital.

He appeared outside Belle's room, nearly causing a nurse to drop a tray. He just glared at her and quickly entered Belle's room. She was not alone.

Ariel was there with her. Rumple hadn't seen her since she had relayed messages between Belle and him when they were trying to rescue Henry from Peter Pan. Belle had told him Ariel had not come back to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest when the second curse was enacted. So how did she get here?

'Oh, hi', said Ariel rather nervously as she stood up from the chair next to Belle's bed.

'Ariel', said Rumple. 'How is she doing? Any improvements?' He could see for himself that there weren't any but he felt he had to do something, to say something to keep himself from rushing over to Belle and cradle her into his arms.

'The doctors say they can't do much for her - until her heart is returned.' Ariel made for the door. Then she turned back to Gold, a determined look on her face.

'I need to show you something', she said. She closed her eyes and with a look of concentration and pain put the fingertips of both her index fingers up to her temples. Was she really…? Before Gold could finish his thought, she had performed the ancient mermaid magic and pulled several small pearls from her temples.

She held one out on her outstretched palm and images started to form. Of Ariel walking behind a dwarf - Grumpy - into Granny's diner. Belle was sitting there with Archie, having a conversation:

_'__All I did was pour a potion over some rocks,' Belle said. 'The dwarves did all the hard work.'_

_Archie answered: 'Hey, you wanted to be a hero. Sounds like you were. You kept the bad guys out!'_

_'__What bad guys? Come on, face it. Nobody's coming here. I wasn't on that ship because he doesn't need me.'_

Rumple's eyes shot up to Ariel's for a brief moment. All he had wanted was to keep her safe. And not have to watch him die. Had he really given Belle the impression that he didn't need her?

'There's more', said Ariel. 'Keep watching!'

_'__So who are you? Why are you here?' asked Belle._

_'__I came from Neverland. Rumpelstiltskin sent me.'_

_'__Wait, wait, wait… He's alive?' said Belle, her eyes filling up with tears._

_'__And he wanted me to give you this,' said Ariel holding out the enchanted shell which Belle took with trembling hands._

The memory faded into thin air. Ariel held out the second pearl and replayed another memory for Rumple, one of Belle listening to his message, her hand shooting up to touch his image coming from the shell as he said her name and whispering 'Rumple' as if he could hear her.

_'__I told you I was going to my death. I found another way: I can defeat Pan and live... but only if you get me something from the shop. The object I need is hidden but I know that with the strength of our love you'll find it.'_

_When Belle turned to face Ariel, relief was writ large across her face. She exclaimed: 'He wants my help! He wants me to save him, Henry, everyone!'_

Rumple shook his head in disbelief. How could Belle think back then that he didn't need her help? That he didn't need her? When it had been the thought of her that had kept him going, that had kept him sane in Neverland?

The next memory pearl showed Belle gently picking up the chipped cup ('I worry I threw out the chipped cup too soon' - those cruel words echoed in his head) and saying:

_'__No matter how much this thing has been through it's survived. Just like our love.'_

_'__So what now', asked Ariel. 'Do we make tea?'_

_'__Not sure', said Belle as she walked towards the closet. 'Rumple used to keep it in here.' She put the cup onto the saucer and immediately a sparkly trail of magic appeared that led her to Pandora's box._

'And a final one', said Ariel.

_Ariel was walking up the main street towards the library. Just as she was about to open the door, it opened from the inside and Belle stood there, balancing a pile of books on one arm. The books collapsed onto the floor as Belle rushed to hug Ariel._

_'__So good to see you. Where have you been? Did you find Eric? How come you're back here. Is he with you? Sorry, too many questions…'_

_'__Yes. I found him. We were happily living together until the second curse broke and I got shrunk and trapped inside a bottle with Hook's ship. He just released me and I immediately asked about you. Hook quickly told me what happened between Gold and you…'_

_Belle's expression was difficult to read. She grabbed her left ring finger and rubbed it absentmindedly_

_'__Turns out I was right then, when we first met: he didn't need me after all. Or not as much as he needs magic, power, the thrill of manipulating other people. I don't know… I tried to be everything for him. But I simply wasn't enough._

_'__How do you feel now that Gold is back in Storybrooke?' asked Ariel._

_Belle smiled a sad smile._

_'__Relieved because I know he's OK. I was worrying about him every day, despite everything. Angry that he has deceived me again when he disguised as Hook and got his dagger back. Scared to see him again, scared of what he is plotting now, of what he has in store for me and the entire town. In short, confused!'_

_'__And this Will guy?' Ariel asked._

_'__Wow! News does travel fast. It just happened, completely out of the blue. For weeks, I was sobbing over my journal and all that was keeping me in Storybrooke was the obligation I felt to get the fairies out of the Sorcerer's Hat. To right some of the wrong my husband has done, you know. But all that time I was obsessing about Rumple. Was he OK? Had I been too harsh? Part of me even wanted to go after him, despite everything… And then, one day, I meet Will. Boom. He makes me laugh. And feel good about myself. And he's suffered a lot, too… '_

_Belle suddenly realized that she was still touching her bare left ring finger and quickly moved her hand into her hair to straighten it._

_'__But enough about me… Tell me more about you and Eric! A much happier story, I'm sure!_

The memory faded. Gold swallowed hard but the lump in his throat would not clear.

'I'll leave you and Belle alone now,' said Ariel. 'Just thought you should know how useless you made her feel - even back when she was sure of your love. And how much you hurt her.'

Gold nodded slightly before turning away from Ariel and sitting down next to Belle. He took her hand and squeezed it slightly, mulling over the mermaid's memories and the feelings they had caused in him.


	5. Chapter 5

Rumple did not know how long he had been sitting at Belle's side, gently stroking her hand, deep in thought. So when someone opened the door it startled him and he got up quickly, dropping Belle's hand onto the blanket.

He had expected Will to come around sooner or later but it was not him. Rumple was surprised to see who had come in the door. And judging by their dropped jaws, Hook and the Blue Fairy had not expected to see the Dark One in the room, either.

'What are you doing here?' snarled Rumple, protectively stepping closer to Belle's bed.

'We're here to return this,' said Blue in a voice that made it clear that she would never forgive him for locking her and all the other fairies in the hat. She lifted a small wooden box in the air. Rumple's breath caught in his throat! Could that be Belle's heart?

'Regina is coming back from New York with Zelena', Hook said, a smirk on his face. 'If it wasn't Belle's heart that we had as leverage against you, I'd gladly hold on to it a bit longer. But I think she's suffered enough because of you already… so move to the side and let Blue do what she came here to do.'

Anyone who didn't have such a long and twisted history with Hook as Rumple had would have believed the macho talk the pirate was spinning. But Rumple knew that something was not quite right with Hook. He had always stared him in the face, contempt written all over his face. But now he was avoiding his gaze and if he was not mistaken, Hook's hand seemed to tremble ever so slightly as he pushed Blue forward.

Rumple stepped away begrudgingly but he knew that if he started an argument with Blue now as to who should return Belle's heart to her it would only prolong things unnecessarily.

When Blue opened the wooden box, Rumple's eyes were drawn to Belle's heart. It was the most vibrant red he had ever seen, a sign of her innate goodness. Ever since he had been with Belle he had wondered whether just being with him would eventually turn her heart black somehow. As Blue turned the heart in her hand he was relieved: there were only two tiny specks of black to be seen. He wondered what might have caused them. Belle was the most forgiving person he had ever met. She had returned to him, believed in him and helped him be a better man over and over again. Until the night at the town line when she had banished him from Storybrooke. Which he could have lived with. Banished him from her life. Which he could not live with.

Ever since he'd returned to Storybrooke a part of him had secretly counted on Belle's ability to forgive. If he succeeded in getting the author to do what he wanted, if he could buy more time for himself and his darkened heart somewhere on this planet, his life only really made sense if he could have Belle in it. This time round it might take her longer to forgive him, sure, and she would have to learn to trust him again. Because he had abused her trust. He had known all along that what he was doing was wrong. But another part of him, the part of him that knew all the dark secrets of his soul, also kept telling him that he needed to deceive her if he wanted her to stay. Because if she truly saw what he had done, the monster he had been before she had come into his life, then she would run from him screaming and never, ever come back. So he had lied to her and deceived her, hoping that things would be different once he could free himself from the dagger and some of the darkness with which it was imbued.

Rumple nearly missed the moment in which Blue returned Belle's heart to her chest because of all these thoughts in his head. But he did not miss Belle's gasp as her body jerked upwards, her eyes suddenly wide open and her hand gripping Blue's arm.

'Sorry, my dear,' Blue apologized to a dazed and clearly confused Belle. 'Returning someone's heart is best done when that person is conscious but we didn't think we should wait much longer… How do you feel?'

Belle's voice was throaty: 'I'm OK… Hm. Hold on! You… you just returned my heart?' She was still focused on Blue and had not seen Hook or Rumple standing further back.

As Belle's memories of Regina suddenly appearing in the shop returned, she shook her head. 'I thought she had changed! But she just used me to get to Rumple…' Her eyes filled with tears and in a bitter voice she whispered, more to herself than to Blue: 'I'm so sick of it! Everyone just do with Belle whatever the heck you like…'

The she realized that Blue had just returned her heart and as she lifted her head to thank her for it, her eyes wandered further afield and there was Hook to Blue's left and Rumple to her right!

'What… what are you doing here?' she stuttered, eyes fixed on her husband.

'I just wanted to make sure you'd be alright', said Rumple and he didn't care that his voice was rather shaky.

'But why am I in hospital? Taking someone's heart doesn't usually result in that? What is going on?'

'Regina took your heart across the town line, out into a world without magic… You collapsed straight away.' Rumple felt anger rising in him as he thought about the Evil Queen's recklessness in that regard.

'But', interjected Hook before Belle could respond, 'we think that the potion may also have made the situation worse…'

Rumple's head shot in the direction of the pirate. How did he know about the potion?

'Oh great', he heard Belle say behind him, her voice full of sarcasm. 'Mistakenly put me under a love spell, purposefully rip my heart out… anything else the people of Storybrooke want to do to me?'

Rumple's eyes shot from Hook to Belle and then back again as the pirate said: 'Belle, I really am sorry… You know I didn't do it on p…'

Rumple cut him off: 'Hold on. What the hell is going on?' he thundered. Then, forcing himself to calm down, he turned to face Belle.

'Belle?'

'Well, looks like Hook here was unsure of Emma's feelings so the night I… banished you', Belle swallowed hard at those words, 'in the general chaos that ensued Hook went back to the shop and got the gauntlet to show him Emma's greatest weakness. And the gauntlet took him to Baelfire's grave.' Belle stopped to look at Hook.

'Stop me if I get anything wrong here, OK, Killian?' Belle's voice had a sharp edge to it, something Rumple was not used to, not from her. Was this what had caused those black specks in her otherwise crimson heart?

'And because he could not get over the fact that Emma still had stronger feelings for Bae than for him, he decided to take matters into his own hands. By stealing a potion from the shop. Which he mixed into a cup of coffee to give to Emma. Which I accidentally drank, about three weeks ago when we were working on getting the fairies out of the hat…'

Hook let his head hang.

'And', Belle continued, 'then he stood by while I supposedly fell in love with Will Scarlet. Smirking his usual pirate smirk. Does that about cover it?'

'Ever since we got the fairies out of the hat, I got Blue to work on an antidote, didn't I?' Hook tried to defend himself.

'Without telling me who it was for, may I add,' said Blue. 'And with one single drop of the potion left. A potion made by him!' She pointed at the Dark One.

Rumple shook his head in disbelief. He had spent an entire night trying to find a trace of the person who had brewed the potion and found nothing because he had never thought it was one of his own potions. Blind to his own work? How could that happen?

'Which of the love potions did you use, pirate?' he growled.

Hook didn't say anything. It was Belle who answered.

'It was the green one, top shelf in the left closet in the backroom. I caught Hook snooping around in there a few times in the last couple of days. It's only when I felt really strange yesterday that I put two and two together. I went over the stock and found a large amount of it missing. And then I confronted Hook over the phone last night. We were supposed to do something about it today… Get me back to my old, bitter, self, you know!' There it was again, that sarcasm and bitterness. Rumple fought his instincts which told him to go and comfort Belle.

'Hold on! There should be some of the potion in my handbag…' Belle said, looking around the room for it.

'But perhaps you can make an antidote or help Blue finish hers?' Belle asked Rumple while Hook brought her the bag. 'I just want to feel my own feelings again… Raw as they might be, at least they are real!'

Rumple could see the hurt in Belle's eyes and he briefly nodded in her direction before turning to Blue: 'Let's get on with it, then. Hook, deal with the hospital people and take her home. Oh, and make sure Will doesn't get near her while we work on this,' Rumple snarled, forgetting for a moment that Belle had forced him to return the pirate's heart. But Hook did not protest.

'I will. And Will is fast asleep, after we got him completely drunk last night as per Belle's instructions!' said Hook with a tentative smile in Belle's direction. A smile she did not return.

When Rumple turned to look at his love one last time before leaving the room, she had sunk back into bed and was playing around with one of her locks, the way she always did when she was thinking hard about something. She did not look up to see whether he was still there or gone already. Blue cleared her throat behind him and he got the hint. He had to leave Belle, yet again. He did so with a heavy heart. He did not know how long he had to live and wanted to be with her, near hear as much as he could.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as everyone had left the room, Belle let out a long sigh and let her face sink into her hands. Her head was thumping and she felt nauseous. Conflicting feelings raced through her mind: fake emotions for Will and real concern for her husband. She replayed her memories of their orchestrated meeting at the well again: how he had shown her his blackened heart and how he did not believe she would understand why the human part of him was afraid of dying, leaving behind the frightening entity of the Dark One. The look on his face when Regina made her say words of forgiveness, the desperation in his kiss, his tears and his utter devastation when he realized that none of it was real, that it was a ruse by the Evil Queen.

'Enough already!' Belle exclaimed at the increasing headache that had started to affect her vision while she groped around for her clothes. 'Blue and Rumple better come up with an antidote soon, before my head explodes,' she thought to herself. After fumbling around with trembling hands for a few minutes, Belle was finally dressed and sat down on the bed again. What was taking Hook so long? If only she could breathe in a bit of fresh air and walk in the daylight… The artificial light in the hospital room was really bothering her. Belle tried to close her eyes but she felt she was swaying like in the middle of a storm at high sea. She would have to pull herself together, otherwise Hook might decide she was not well enough to take her home. And she needed to get home, or rather to the shop. She had a man to save.

Belle reached over onto the nightstand where a big glass of water stood and started taking small sips. With each sip of water, she took a deep breath and pushed what she now knew were fake feelings of love for Will deeper into her mind. When her thoughts were as good as clear of Will, she started doing the same with her mixed feelings for Rumple. She willed herself to focus on the times (few as they may have been) when he had let his guard down, let her in, had been honest with her. She focused on what she had cherished so much: their walks together, their dinners, their shared intimacies. Every time a doubt or a memory of him being dishonest snuck in she pushed them away. There would be time to deal with those doubts and negative memories again later. Now she had a mission to focus on.

When Hook entered Belle's room again, she was staring out the window. 'All set to go?" she said in a steely voice without looking at him. 'Yes. Finally,' Hook said. 'You're a bit pale… Are you feeling OK?'

Belle turned towards him and smiled a weak smile: 'I'll be fine once I get out into the fresh air, thank you.' And without further ado she marched past him and down the corridor. Hook quickly ran after her and then past her. When Belle walked through the main doors, she took a deep breath of fresh air and then another one. 'Alright?' Hook asked from a few steps away where he had hailed a taxi for them.

'Yes, thank you,' Belle said as politely as she could, trying not to think about the selfishness of the pirate that had resulted in her cheating on her husband. She shuddered at the memories of Will's groping hands and his demanding kisses. At least she had not let him spend the night yet - she would never have forgiven herself. Thinking about Will made her feel worse again so she pushed all thoughts of him into the deepest recesses of her mind again and focused on the task at hand: saving Rumple's heart.

The Blue Fairy had never been a fan of the Dark One and the fact that he had banished her and all her fellow fairies into the hat had certainly not endeared him to her. However she could not help but wonder what was wrong with him as they stood at her potion table in the convent. He was pale and kept touching his left arm when he thought she wasn't looking. Never mind! It was none of her business - all she wanted was to help the woman who had helped free her, Belle. And then return to business as usual. If there ever was such a thing in Storybrooke.

'I think that should do it!' she said as the potion started changing colour. Gold had been looking out the window and too distracted to notice that the antidote was about ready.

He came out of his stupor in a split second and quickly transferred some of the antidote into a phial. 'Well, let's see if it works then!' he said and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

He appeared at the top of the stairs in the library building, outside Belle's flat. He knocked and waited for her to answer. Perhaps she was asleep? He used his magic to listen into the apartment but all was quiet. Without thinking, Rumple took his cell out of his pocket and speed dialed her number. She answered after the second ring. 'Please tell me you have the antidote?' were her first words.

'I do. But where are you? Why are you not resting?' he asked.

'I'm in the shop. See you in a second?' She hung up.

Rumple didn't think about it twice and about a second later he appeared in the shop. Belle was bent over one of about a dozen open books strewn all over the counters and glass cases. Hook was standing right next to the door. 'Wouldn't tell me what she's looking for…' he said to Gold who only glared at him in response.

'Well, now that you're here and that Belle is getting her potion…' Hook said tentatively, groping for the door. He was gone in a flash.

When Belle heard the door jingle she finally looked up and met Rumple's eyes. He wanted to read honest concern into her expression but he was not sure. First things first, anyway.

'Here', he said, clearing his voice as he held out the phial with the antidote.

'Thank you! I really appreciate you doing this for me. I know you didn't come back for me, you came back for the author so he could save your heart…' Belle's voice trailed off and she quickly grabbed the phial and drank its contents down in one gulp.

She kept her eyes closed as the antidote made its way through her system. All fake feelings for Will suddenly dissolved and the memories of the time spent with him made her shudder. He was not a bad guy, he had just taken advantage of the situation. He didn't know about the potion so he probably thought she needed a rebound and he had been more than willing to act as one.

As the feelings for Will faded, Belle's true love for Rumple swept over her in a powerful wave. She had to hold on to the glass case she was standing at and although she was trying to hold back her tears the shear power of her feelings for her husband -because he was her husband after all, despite everything- overwhelmed her. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

As soon as she felt Rumple's hand over hers, Belle's hand jerked slightly in response. When she opened her eyes he was already taking a few steps back with an apologetic expression on his face. He had misunderstood her, yet again. She hadn't jumped because she was repelled by him - quite the opposite, in fact. She had only ever had a few moments of absolute clarity in her life, like when she had decided to go back to Rumple after her adventures with Mulan, before Regina had caught her and locked her up. Right now she was having another one: she belonged with Rumplestiltskin and he belonged with her. They needed to learn how to communicate better, but they belonged together.

She took a few steps towards him and took his hand. His eyes shot up in surprise.

'How long have you known that your heart…' Belle swallowed and wiped her tears away. '… that it would blacken completely and kill off the human part of you?' she forced herself to finish the sentence.

'I knew it might happen eventually. During the curse, the process stalled because we were reliving the same day over and over again,' Rumple answered quietly. 'In the enchanted forest and after the curse broke, I used magic to counteract it as much as I could.'

'Is that why you brought magic back? I mean, besides wanting to find Bae?'

'Yes, darling Belle. If I hadn't used magic to help my human heart survive I would not have lived long enough to find Bae. Which, with hindsight, might have been better for him. He'd still be alive!'

Belle had started moving towards the sofa, first because she thought Rumple looked pale and needed to sit down but as the magnitude of the situation hit her she felt she needed to sit down, too. She had accused Rumple of selfishness, of choosing magic over her several times since they had been reunited. When all along he really had not had a choice.

They sat down, hands still clasped.

'How much worse did I make it when I sent you over the town line?' Belle asked in a trembling voice.

Rumple took her other hand, too, and squeezed her hands hard. 'No, no… don't blame yourself! These last few months have done some damage but not as much as was done during the entire year Zelena held me captive!'

Belle shook her head as the truth dawned on her.

'So the hat, you were trying to free yourself from the dagger in an attempt to…'

'Yes, in an attempt to strengthen my heart, to reduce the blackness in it. So that we could be together without the threat of the Dark One taking over hanging over us…'

Rumple's eyes had filled with tears, too. It felt so good to finally be able to be completely honest.

'Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me when you brought magic back? Or after you came back from captivity? Or once we were married?'

By now, tears were flowing down both Belle's and Rumple's faces.

'I was afraid I'd lose you. If you realized that I was on the brink of losing my humanity, if all that was left was the Dark One, unable to love anyone. I was just too afraid…'

'Don't you think I would have understood? And tried to help you?' Belle couldn't help but feel a bit angry as well. 'Why would I run away? Have I ever run away from you?'

'No, but you did banish me…' Rumple replied, anger flaring up in his voice, too.

Belle took her hands out of Rumple's and looked away, ashamed.

'You're right. I did. I never let you explain. But you had so many opportunities to explain yourself before that, too. And you didn't…'

'I know', mumbled Rumple. 'And I regret that every single day, believe me.'

'And I have regretted my rash decision ever since that evening, Rumple' said Belle, taking his hands into hers this time. 'I hope one day you'll forgive me! But for that to happen we need to make sure the human part of you stays alive long enough… Come, we've got work to do!'

She stood up and tried a timid smile as she stretched her hand out towards him.


End file.
